Empty Waters
by AuthorBrokenHearts
Summary: He found her in the realm of darkness, nearly dead and nursed her back to health with the hope of destroying her once and for all in a fair fight. Both of them full of stubbornness and pride, they must rely on each other or cease to exist. Nightmares, voices, visions, and faded memories... the only way to escape the darkness, is to depend on the light, even if it isn't there.
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome everyone! I hope you will enjoy** ** _Empty Waters_** **. Currently, I only have a vague idea on where I want this to go. Since KH3 isn't going to come out for (at least) another year, it won't follow the canon story of KH3, but will hold some fan theories for the next installment. Currently in the timeline, it takes place after 0.2 and DDD. Basically, it's my take on what KH3 could be.**

 **Well, I hope you enjoy it! Please read and review. Looking forward to hearing from you!**

 **-Broken Hearts**

...

Chapter One

"He has no control over the darkness in his heart. The Keyblade is not his to bear. He's an abomination beyond hope of salvation."

The words he had overheard ran through his mind as he fell, pieces of colored stained glass raining around him. His helmet once again covered his face, protecting him from the shards as they bounced off, and he watched the light above him vanish as the final speck of Ventus' light fled from his heart and he was, once again, left with only darkness; both in his heart, and all around him.

There's nothing you can do, now. a dark voice whispered in his mind. You have lost. You have no purpose now. You're worthless, beyond hope of salvation. Just like Xehanort said.

The voice was right; he had failed. There was nothing left now. No X-Blade, no Ventus, no Xehanort, nothing. Only darkness existed now.

Vanitas closed his golden eyes and pictures of the past few days played against his eyelids. The battles he fought, Xehanort giving him the last minute, cruel training, and the faces of the people he despised. All of them, every last person he had met or known. He hated them all. Words echoed through his ears, mixing together until they formed an incoherent mess that pierced his skull and made him long for the silence of death.

Vanitas close his eyes and accepted his fate, once again only one half of a whole.

"Ven!"

He slammed onto the hard ground and a sickening crack echoed around the void he landed in; and he moved no more.

XXX

How long had she been walking? It felt like forever. No, forever, didn't cover how long it seemed. She was so tired she could barely pick up her feet as she walked. The keyblade in her hand felt like it weighed one hundred pounds as she dragged it across the ground. Her vision blurred in front of her from the lack of rest and she licked her cracked, parched lips.

Terra… Ven… I'm trying to get to you, but I don't know how much longer I can go on.

She heard movement behind her and she froze as she gripped the keyblade tighter in her hands before she spun around and swung it upwards just as the black creature leapt for her, its yellow eyes blazing. The keyblade made contact and the creature burst into a cloud of shadow, but the amount of energy the single swing took from her forced her to her knees as she collapsed and the keyblade vanished from her hands.

She felt herself fall, but made no attempt to stop herself as her body slumped down onto the cold, hard ground below her. I can't do it anymore.

Her mind barely registered the footsteps behind her, but she couldn't bring herself to will the keyblade back to her. Instead, she laid still as she waited for her fate. Dark maroon colored boots entered her blurred vision and her mind screamed at her to get up and run, but her body refused to comply. Instead she allowed her eyes to close and the darkness around her dragged her down into nothingness.

XXX

He dropped her with a grunt and sat down against the cave wall to catch his breath as he shivered against the cold. He whispered, "Fire." A dark purple and black ball of fire sprung to life in his hand and, while it didn't give off much light, its warmth rushed over him as he held it close to his body.

When Vanitas had found Aqua wondering around the realm of darkness, he had been disgustingly gleeful and had prepared to attack her, his mouth nearly watering at the idea of battle and even perhaps, finally, spilling her blood. However, he had hesitated when he noticed how weak she was and how she barely lifted her feet. Disappointment consumed him and he ground his teeth together as he turned to leave.

He heard her gasp as she collapsed and he stopped and looked back to her and he watched her force herself to her feet and slowly continued to walk. He cursed himself quietly and, using the darkness to his advantage, he followed her. He wasn't sure how long he had stalked his prey, but when the black creature finally attacked her and she collapsed, he stepped out with Void Gear in hand.

He used his boot to flip her over onto her back and placed the keyblade at her throat before he slowly trailed it down her body, tilting his head to the side as he did.

"I could finally kill you," he said. "It would be so easy. A single flick of my wrist or a slash across your stomach, and it would all end. Your heart would be lost to the darkness forever."

Do it, Vanitas. the voice hissed in his mind. Finish her!

Vanitas raised Void Gear, ready to strike, but made no move to bring it down. With a sigh, he relaxed and lowered the keyblade as it vanished from his hand. He stooped down and grabbed Aqua by the face as he tilted her head and examined her.

He sneered. "What fun would it be to take your life when you're nothing more than a shell." He released her and grabbed her arms and swung her onto his back. With a grunt, he began to move. "Only reason I'm helping you, is so that when you're strong again, I can kill you. Don't think for one second that I give a rat's ass about you, loser."

Now, he stared at Aqua's body as she slowly breathed in and out. His stomach growled and he cursed softly. Even though time didn't exist in the realm of darkness, hunger and thirst did. He let the fire in his hand die out as he replaced it with his keyblade and he rushed out of the cave and into the darkness.

XXX

Aqua forced her eyes to peel back and winced at the pain the dull light gave. Light? She slowly forced herself to sit up and saw a fire beside her, black and purple flames danced around each other, along with a small pile of twigs, berries, and mushrooms and a camel skin flask which she assumed had water in it. Over the fire, cooking in a hollowed out stone pot, was a mint smelling tea that reminded her of the tea Master Eraqus made back in the Land of Departure.

A feeling of homesickness washed over her, but she quickly pushed it to the side as she began to devour the food in front of her. There wasn't much, but it was enough to take the edge off of the ravenous hunger. Once the food was gone, she snatched up the camel skin and began to chug the water that was inside.

In the darkness of the cave, someone snorted. "You're going to make yourself sick if you keep chugging it like that."

Aqua immediately removed the flask from her lips and began to cough, water flying out of her mouth as she did. She moved quickly, forcing herself to stand and turn towards the voice as Master Keeper appeared in her hand.

Vanitas let out a dry chuckle as he sat perched on a ledge above her, half of his face and body covered in darkness. "I see you're feeling better."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Aqua spat out.

Vanitas blinked from behind his helmet and shook his head. "Is it really that hard for you to understand?" He placed a hand over his chest. "I am the pure essence of darkness." He motioned to the cave. "This is the realm of darkness. Put two together and you have your answer. It really couldn't get any similar as to why I'm here."

Aqua clenched her teeth and, with a single none-too-graceful movement, she shouted, "Fire!" and three fireballs shot from the keyblade and burned right towards Vanitas. He quickly leapt from his ledge and landed on the ground as Void Gear appeared in his hand and he charged her.

Aqua threw up her keyblade and Vanitas' landed heavily on hers, forcing her down to one knee as she tried to force him back.

Vanitas sneered. "Next to your obvious weakness from the lack of nourishment, your body has lost strength to the darkness of this place while I, a being of darkness, have grown stronger from it. So strong in fact, that I now have perfect control of everything you see and hear here. You are nothing compared to me in this realm. I could easily crush you." He pushed harder and Aqua gasped as her other knee collapsed and her grip faltered on the keyblade. It fell from her grasp and Vanitas lunged at her, pushing her to the ground with his keyblade against her throat. He let out a dark chuckle as he pressed the blade harder against her throat.

"Terra," Aqua gasped out. "Ven-."

"Your loser friends can't help you this time, Master Aqua," Vanitas said, spitting out her name sarcastically as if it was a bad taste in his mouth. "You're alone here. Alone with me. I could do anything I want to you; kill you, let you live, command the darkness to swallow you," he sneered under his mask. "Rape you. You're powerless against me. I am a god in this realm!"

Aqua struggled against him, her hands grasping his as she tried to peel them off Void Gear and her lungs burned from the lack of oxygen. Vanitas pressed harder, a demonic grin on his face as he watched her struggle. Finally, he relented and he yanked his keyblade from her grasp as he stood over her. She instantly began to cough and gasp as air flooded her lungs and she curled into herself as she breathed heavily.

"Don't underestimate me, Aqua," Vanitas said. "You may have been stronger before, but here, this is my domain. This is where I thrive. If you think you stand a chance against me, you're fooling yourself. If I wanted you dead, you would be."

Aqua lifted her head and glared at him, her blue eyes blazing like blue fire. "You're a monster."

"A monster that spared your life twice now and gave you food and water," Vanitas said. "Items that, without me, you wouldn't have found. So I suggest you start showing me some respect."

Aqua shut her mouth and glared at him. Both keyblades vanished and Vanitas made his way over to the fire where he began to stir the tea that brewed in the pot. "Do you want some?"

Aqua slowly sat up, a look of confusion on her face at his sudden change. She blinked and nodded barely. He picked up a cup, made from the same stone as the pot, and scooped some tea into it before he held it out to her. She took it carefully and stared into its contents as Vanitas got himself some and stood. He moved past her and, cradling the tea close to his body, leapt back onto the ledge and into the darkness. She heard him sipping the tea softly and she slowly raised it to her lips to drink. The sweet, warm liquid spread throughout her body and she closed her eyes as she savored it.

"Here," Master Eraqus said as he held out a small cup to Aqua. She took it in her hands and went to take a sip, but stopped when Eraqus raised an eyebrow at her. "First, tell me what you smell."

Confused, Aqua smelt the contents of the cup and a small smile spread across her face. "Mint and lavender."

Eraqus nodded. "And?"

Aqua smelt it again. "Um, lemon?"

Eraqus nodded. "Yes, but you are only allowing yourself to smell what's on the surface. Like people, tea is made with many different elements. What you see, or in this case smell, on the surface isn't always the only thing that lingers there. Sometimes, you have to look deeply into a person to truly see their heart. Now, take a sip."

Aqua did and quickly removed the cup from her lips when the sweetness exploded in her mouth. "It's sweet! Not minty at all."

Eraqus smiled. "Indeed."

"How did you make this tea, Master? It tastes so different than how it smells."

Eraqus chuckled softly and sipped his own tea. "I'll tell you someday, when you fully understand this lesson and when you're ready. Until then, ponder on what I've told you and enjoy it. Think of home when you drink it. That way, your heart will always know the light."

Aqua stared down into her now empty cup, a feeling of loss in her chest. She felt a dark presence beside her and looked up to glare at Vanitas who stood watching the mouth of the cave. He said nothing as he took her cup from her and walked back to the fire, filling her cup with the tea that was left and handing it to her. He made his way back to the ledge, but before he could climb back onto it, Aqua broke the silence.

"Where did you learn to make that tea?" she asked.

Vanitas stopped and looked to her, his face, as always, covered by his mask. He turned away without answering and leapt back onto the ledge and into the shadows.

Aqua sighed and finished her second cup of tea before she laid down beside the fire. She watched the flames dance and she shivered slightly against the cold. She closed her eyes and, feeling Ventias' eyes on her, slowly fell into a restless sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi again, everyone! I'm thinking that I'm going to publish the first three chapters for now, so be on the look out for chapter three today or tomorrow, and then I'll update about once a week after that. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please review! :)**

 **-BH**

 **...**

Chapter Two

Vanitas heard them before he saw them. He woke with a start and was at the mouth of the cave in a flash, Void Gear in hand, and stood in front of a pack of the black creatures with yellow eyes. He flicked his wrist and the glass on his helmet retracted, revealing his face as he bared his teeth at them.

"Get back!" he snarled. The creatures cocked their heads at him and he took a threatening step toward them. "I said, get back! She's _mine_!"

Slowly, one by one, the creatures turned and left, scurrying across the ground and deeper into the darkness. He banished his keyblade and walked back inside to where Aqua slept. He watched her as her chest rose and fell with each breath. He bent down beside her and examined her face carefully.

Aqua had developed dark bags under her eyes and her face was shallow from the lack of nourishment. He frowned as he watched her and his gaze traveled down her body. Her clothes, torn and ragged from her time in the realm of darkness, hung off her tiny frame. He hadn't noticed before, but scars littered her bare skin, some more fresh than others. There were a few open wounds on her that oozed pus and blood as infection took hold.

Vanitas cursed under his breath and stood. "You're never going to be well enough to be any sort of challenge if an infection takes you over." He sneered. "Not much of a mage if you can't even keep yourself from getting sick or injured, are you?"

The sleeping girl didn't answer.

Vanitas sighed and shook his head as he turned from the cave once more as he stepped out into the darkness.

He returned a short time later with a large leaf filled with other, smaller leaves as well as plants, roots, and seeds. He set them down beside the fire as he set to work, creating salves and tying some of the plants to dry them. Shortly after his return, Aqua began to stir and he quickly made sure his mask covered his face as he worked.

"Finally," he snapped. "It's about time you woke up. Here." He shoved a cup of tea he made at her. "To fight off any illness you might have. Put this," he set down a stone bowl with a paste inside it in front of her. "On your cuts when you're done drinking the tea."

Aqua narrowed her eyes. "Why should I listen to you?"

Vanitas sighed and looked at her. "Whether or not you listen to me honestly doesn't matter. I couldn't care less if you die or not. The only reason I'm keeping you alive and unharmed further is so that, when you have your strength back, I can kill you myself. Besides, it's keeping me from being bored. So you can either do what I say and live a little bit longer, or you can ignore me and you'll die from infection." He motioned to a large, pus-filled gash on her arm. "Because if you wait much longer, that's going to kill you."

"So you're only keeping me around for your own entertainment." Aqua stated. Vanitas looked away and returned to tying the plants he had. Aqua scoffed. "You really are some kind of mental case."

Vanitas snorted. "You're the one who decided to jump into the realm of darkness at your own will." He motioned to the tea in her hands. "Now drink, otherwise leave the cave and face the monsters yourself."

Aqua glared at him and sipped the tea. She nearly spat it out, but forced it down her throat and made a gagging sound. "That's disgusting!"

"I never said it would taste good." Aqua watched as Vanitas hung up the plants to dry them out before he began to separate the small pile of berries, nuts, and roots he had found.

"Where did you find all this?" asked Aqua. "I've been searching for food and plants for as long as I can remember being down here, but haven't found any."

"Obviously you didn't know where to look. Not that I would expect a pampered keyblade apprentice to actually _know_ anything about nature or gathering. Even if you _are_ a mage."

Aqua stood and summoned Master Keeper and pointed it in Vanitas' face. Vanitas slowly lifted his head and looked up the keyblade and to the girl's fury-filled eyes. "Are you challenging me?" He stood and Void Gear appeared in his hand. "Did your tiny little mind not comprehend what I said before? You have no power over me in this realm! Yet, here you are, challenging me and waving your dead master's keyblade in my face. You are a fool, Aqua!" As her name passed his lips, he swung his keyblade upward and knocked Master Keeper from her hands before she could blink. Aqua leapt backwards with wide, angry eyes, as Vanitas turned to the darkness outside the cave.

"You freak!" she shouted.

" _You're an abomination, you have no place. You're nothing but a freak of nature!"_

Vanitas' clenched his fists and darkness began to ooze from him as he shook. He allowed it to unleash and shouted into the abyss outside the cave, "Darkness, swallow her!"

The ground beneath their feet began to rumble and shake and Vanitas let out a crazed laugh. "I warned you! I _told_ you not to challenge me! _I_ rule the realm of darkness. This is _my_ domain!"

The ground began to crack and splinter as if it were made of wood around Aqua's feet. She pressed herself against the wall and looked to Vanitas before she leapt into the air and landed behind him, where her keyblade laid. In a single movement, she picked it up and swung it upwards just as Vanitas turned around. The keyblade made contact with the base of Vanitas' mask and he gasped as it launched him backwards and off his feet. The ground where Aqua had stood split open and Vanitas fell through the hole, Void Gear vanishing from his hand.

"No! I said swallow her, not me!" he screamed into the shadows. The ground shook again, rumbled, as if it were laughing. Aqua peeked over the hole and was just about to turn and leave when she spotted the pot of tea and plants hanging up to dry. She bit her lip and looked back at the still crumbling hole. With a soft curse, she ran towards it and jumped down, falling after the masked boy of darkness.

XXX

There was something peaceful about falling through darkness. Maybe it was because she couldn't tell where it began or where it would end. As peaceful as it was, the boy who fell before her was still shouting at the darkness and waving his limbs around as a tumbled through it, breaking the peacefulness Aqua felt. She clenched her jaw and pointed the keyblade behind her as she said, "Aeroga!"

With a burst of air, she reached Vanitas and grabbed hold of how wrist. His head whipped around to her and swung Void Gear up at her with his free hand. The keyblade hit Aqua on the shoulder and she released him as she hissed in pain.

"I'm trying to help you, idiot!" she said.

"Help me?" Vanitas shouted. "How do you plan to do that? We are literally falling through the darkness because of _your_ stupidity! If it weren't for you challenging me, we wouldn't be in this mess."

Aqua looked passed him and saw that they were quickly reaching the ground. She clenched her keyblade and, prepared for the worst, grabbed hold of Vanitas again and pulled him to her chest as she spun so her back was facing the ground. Vanitas struggled against her, cursing as he did, and she struggled to focus as she fended off his attacks.

" _Aeroga!_ "

The gust of air slowed their fall and flipped them over where she had landed the spell. She released him and they both landed in a patch of thorn bushes. Aqua cried out as the thorns pierced her flesh and she tore herself free, collapsing onto the hard ground beside them. She sat up and hissed as the hot pain shot through her.

Vanitas, protected by his suit, quickly launched himself out of the bushes and held his keyblade up, ready to attack. "You idiot! Look at what you've done. We're lost because of you!"

Aqua couldn't bring herself to snap back as she watched the blood from her injuries trickle down her arms. She swallowed heavily as her vision blurred with tears. _No, I can't cry. I won't cry. Not in front of_ him _._ She forced her tears back and quickly grabbed the white cloth around her waist and untied it. Using her teeth, she easily tore it in half and wrapped it around both of her arms. By the time she had finished, the white was already stained crimson with the blood from her wounds and she had to swallow back the lump that began to grow in her throat as she stood. _This darkness… it's destroying me. I've become weak in more ways than one._

Something rustled in the bushes and both Aqua and Vanitas spun to face it, keyblades ready to strike. A low growl was heard and Aqua tensed up as Vanitas shouted, "Stay back!"

The growling stopped and, after several moment passed, Aqua relaxed. "I think it's-."

He scream pierced the darkness as a Dark Hide leapt from the bushes and knocked her over, her keyblade sliding across the ground. Vanitas leapt backwards as the giant creature sprung forward and he jumped into the air and cloaked himself in fire before he dove underground and sped towards the Dark Hide. Once he was under its head, he leapt up and slammed his keyblade into the creature's lower jaw. Just before he dove back under, Vanitas snatched up Aqua's keyblade and used it as he repeated the assault before he shouted, "Firaga!" Fire erupted from around him and attacked the creature's face.

It reared back with a roar as Vanitas danced away, landing beside Aqua who had finally stood. He held the keyblade out to her, never removing his eyes from the Dark Hide.

Aqua took her keyblade and the creature snarled at the pair before it charged them. Vanitas leapt into the air as Aqua laid down mine square and jumped up just as the creature ran across them, explosions causing it to rear back and scream.

"You're done!" Vanitas cried out as he slammed his keyblade down on the Dark Hide's head, ice leaping from his keyblade as it made contact and covering the creatures face, blinding it. The creature batted Vanitas out of the air and he felt a sharp, burning pain across his arm as the creature's claw ripped through his suit and flesh. Aqua quickly casted Aeroga to slow his fall. Vanitas used the air to propel himself at the Dark Hide and used Afterimage to strike it repeatedly. The creature reared back, blinded by ice and confused by the attacks on different sides, and roared, causing the ground to shake.

As soon as Vanitas landed on the ground, Aqua used Barrier Surge to lunge at the creature and quickly summoned three pillars of fire that shot up from the ground and spun around her as she repeated her assault with Barrier Surge. The creature let out a scream and Aqua jumped back as the pillars vanished and she landed beside Vanitas.

The Dark Hide shook its head and the ice over its eyes shattered. It whipped its head around and set its eyes upon the pair, it's teeth bared.

"Shit," Vanitas said as he got back in his stance.

Aqua grabbed his arm and pulled him closer to her as she set up mines and said, "The only way we're going to get out of this is if we work together."

Vanitas opened his mouth, an insult on the tip of his tongue, but stopped when the Dark Hide began to charge them. He gritted his teeth and nodded. The pair went back to back and, once the creature was almost upon them, Aqua shouted, "Now!"

In a flash, she sent three fireballs raging towards the Dark Hide and then immediately spun around so Vanitas could follow it with shots of ice before he grabbed her arm and jumped into the air then dove into the ground. He lead her through the darkness then leapt up with her, released her arm and they both swung their keyblades at the creature's eyes before Vanitas grabbed her arm again and Afterimaged with her, both casting their fire and ice spells respectively before he released Aqua and she spun into spell weaver as he shouted, "Suffer!"

Black lightning flashed from his keyblade and struck the creature's head at the same time as Aqua sent her keyblade flying at its eye, blinding it. The creature roared and Vanitas sent himself flying towards its chest and shoved his keyblade through it. The creature burst into a cloud of darkness and Vanitas landed on the ground in a crouch, breathing heavily.

Aqua landed beside him and caught her keyblade before she collapsed to the ground. She looked at him and smiled. "We make a pretty decent team."

Vanitas barely glanced at her before he dismissed Void Gear and walked over to the small patch of shadow that remained of the Dark Hide. He bent down and ran his hand through it. "Don't get used to it." He picked some of it up and looked at the gash on his arm where his suit was torn. Blood streamed from the wound and his suit shone red with the sticky, crimson liquid. He placed the darkness on it and hissed at the pain and it seeped into his flesh. Slowly, his skin began to stitch itself, trapping the darkness inside, and his suit regrew around it. Once it was complete, he shook off the remaining bit and looked around. "We wouldn't have run into that thing if _you_ hadn't forced us down here!"

Aqua glared. "Me? _You're_ the one who opened the hole in the ground!"

Vanitas spun around to face her. "If you hadn't provoked me, none of this would've happened!"

Aqua stood and dismissed Master Keeper. "Look, there's no point in arguing like this. All it's going to do is drive us apart-."

Vanitas laughed. " _Drive us apart_? What, you think we're a _team_ or something now? Don't fool yourself, Aqua. We will _never_ be a team. I don't team up with losers." He pointed down a path. "I'm going this way and I'm going to find a way back to safety. You can either shut up and follow, or you can stay here. I really don't care. My hope for entertainment after helping you is gone."

Without waiting for a response, he walked away. Aqua glared after him and looked up into the empty darkness above. "Terra, Ven… please guide me."

A soft wind began to blow, then, and Aqua closed her eyes as she smiled. The wind stopped and she opened her eyes again before she turned she followed Vanitas down the path he had gone. When she caught up with him, she faltered.

His helmet was off and he was bent over a small pool of water, scooping up the liquid and splashing it on his face. A face that looked just like...

" _Sora?"_


	3. Chapter 3

**As promised, here it chapter three. Now, I will be updating once a week (probably on Sundays). Enjoy and see you next week!**

 **...**

Chapter Three

" _Sora?_ "

The name rattled off in Vanitas' ears and a sharp pain shot through his head. He gripped his head and let out a strangled cry as he fell over, voices and images rushed through his head.

" _No! This huge_ black thing _swallowed me up! I couldn't breathe, I couldn't… Ow!"_

" _Oh yeah? Well, you'll see. I'm gonna get out and learn what's out there."_

" _That's not true! The heart may be weak and sometimes it may even give in. But I've learned that deep down, there's a light that never goes out!"_

" _You're wrong. I know now, without a doubt, Kingdom Hearts... is light!"_

" _Whatever happens, we're friends!"_

" _Aw, c'mon, Riku. You've been hanging around darkness for too long. You gotta try and think positive."_

" _Kairi, I... It's just... they really need me. I have to go. I am who I am... because of them."_

" _Xemnas? This is impossible!"_

" _Axel and Roxas and Naminé, and that other girl. I felt what Roxas felt and...they laughed together, got mad, and they grieved. You have to have a heart to cry."_

"' _May my heart be my guiding key.' I've got it!"_

" _All right! Olympus Coliseum, here we come!"_

Vanitas screamed again as he pictured faces of people he had never met, yet their names came to mind with ease. Sora… Riku… Kairi… Xion… Naminé… Donald… Goofy… Mickey... Roxas, or was that Ven?... no, _that_ was Ven. Wait, since when did he call Ventus _Ven_?

Somewhere in the chaos of his mind, Vanitas heard Ven laugh, seeming to mock him. "You see it all now, too, don't you?"

 _Shut up!_

"Here."

He opened his mouth and drank from the camel skin that was offered to him. He wasn't sure how long he had been out for, but his eyes were still closed shut. The warm water coated his raw throat and he winced slightly as he drank. Aqua took the water away and Vanitas grumbled in protest for a moment before he felt a warmth wash over him as Aqua mumbled, "Cure."

He opened his eyes and realized that Aqua was holding him in her lap, cradling him, as she waved her hand over his body to heal him. He wanted to shove her away in protest, not wanting to be coddled, but his head hurt too much for him to even _begin_ to move. She ended the spell and looked at him, her blue eyes full of concern. "Are you okay?"

Vanitas opened his mouth to give off a sharp retort, but the energy fled from his body and he shut his mouth, barely giving a simple nod.

"That's good." Aqua gently set him down and stood as she turned to the small pool of water and tore off a piece of the blue cloth around her waist and used it as a washcloth to soak up the water and pat Vanitas' head. Despite his mind screaming at his body to shove her away and demand that she never touch him again, Vanitas' eyes slowly closed and his body relaxed.

"What spell did you put on me?" he asked softly, unable to summon up the anger he wanted to pose the question with.

"I didn't put a spell on you," she said. "You're probably just too weak right now to do much of anything." He felt the cloth leave his head, but it returned a second later, colder than before. "What happened?"

Vanitas shook his head. "I… I'm not really sure. You said a name and suddenly I started hearing all these voices and seeing faces of people I didn't know but recognized." He frowned.

Aqua was quiet for a while, dabbing gently at Vanitas' head. "I'm sorry, you just look so much like _him_."

"You mean, Sora?" The name was out of his mouth before he could even think. His eyes shot open and, with renewed energy, he shoved Aqua away from him and scrambled to his feet. "What the hell happened to me? Why do I know his name and… and the names of his-." _Friends._ "Companions."

Aqua slowly stood. "Wait, you know their names and faces?"

"I-I don't know! After you said S-that name, I started hearing his voice and got flashes of people's faces and their names came to mind and then Ventus _laughed_ at me."

Aqua's eyes lit up. "Ven? You heard Ven?"

Vanitas clenched his fists. " _Of course_ you would focus on that! You're more concerned about that foolish friend of yours with the broken heart residing in Sora's chest than you are about what just happened to-." _Me._ Vanitas stopped mid sentence and turned away. "Forget it. We need to keep going." He stooped down and snatched up his helmet before he forced it back onto his head and began walking.

Aqua ran after him and caught his arm, stopping him. "Vanitas, wait." When the dark-filled boy looked to her she bit her lower lip. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I just… I've haven't heard from Ven or Terra for a long time, so when you said you heard him, I got-."

Vanitas tore his arm from her grasp. "I said _forget it_ , Aqua. I don't care what your intentions were or what just happened. What I'm going to focus on is finding a way out of here and back to the safety of the upper realm. Otherwise the Heartless are going to attack us and I don't think you would last another battle right now." Without waiting for her response, Vanitas turned away and continued walking without looking back. He smirked to himself when he heard her walking behind him as she caught up. _Foolish girl. As soon as you are strong enough, I'm going to slit your throat._

XXX

They found safety amongst a set of trees that "night". Vanitas had gathered nuts, berries, roots, and plants as they traveled and, once they decided on a good place to rest, he had gathered some rocks and stones to make a fire pit and carved out a pot and cups. Aqua sat quietly eating her portion of the food he had gathered as he stoked the fire and brewed some tea. He felt her eyes watching him and had to bite his tongue to keep from snapping at her.

Aqua cleared her throat. "Did you know that it's been ten years since we last saw each other?"

Vanitas paused for a second, but quickly resumed stirring the tea. "So?"

"Ven has been asleep for ten years because his heart is shattered. And Terra… Terra's been possessed by Xehanort. Since then, the worlds have fallen into darkness, but they were saved by Sora and his friends. I don't know how long it's been since I learned all this, but we need to find a way back to the realm of light."

Vanitas threw back his head and laughed. "Are you serious? Man, you're more of an idiot than I thought. I'm not going back there, Aqua, and I'm _definitely_ not going to help _you_ look for a way back."

"Vanitas-."

"No! No, I'm not doing that. I _can't_ do that. The realm of light isn't meant for someone like me. The Heartless only go there because they have a unspoken job to collect hearts, while I-." _Don't._

He blinked and looked away. _I no longer have a job, no longer have a purpose. I failed to create the x-blade, my only job and my only purpose. I failed, and I no longer have a place_ anywhere _._

The realization hit him like a ton of bricks and he sat back, unable to stop the tears drip from his eyes. He was grateful for the helmet that covered his face, shielding his tears from Aqua. He barely registered her saying his name as he stood and walked away and vanished into the darkness.

A Hareraiser appeared in front of Vanitas and he stopped, Void Gear appearing in his hand. He gritted his teeth. "No! You weren't summoned, you don't get to appear!" The Hareraiser just watched him sadly and Vanitas' rage grew. A Wild Bruiser appeared and slammed its fists upon the ground, causing the Hareraiser to fall over, chatting wildly. Vanitas gritted his teeth and swung Void Gear down onto the Hareraiser then spun around to hit the Wild Bruiser. Both vanished and the negative emotions rushed back into him, piercing his heart. It had been too long since an Unversed had been created and killed; the impact of the emotion returning to him had him crippling to his knees in pain.

He felt Aqua's hand on his back and his body shook with a sob, another Hareraiser appearing as the sound escaped him. Aqua stiffened, but before she could summon Master Keeper to her, Vanitas shot a black ball of fire at the Hareraiser, the emotion hitting him once more. He curled into himself and Aqua pulled him into her lap as she gently rubbed his back, his tears streaking his mask covered face.

" _The only way to be free from your suffering is by becoming the χ-blade. Battle Vanitas, form the X-blade, and end your despair."_

 _I failed. I failed it all. Now, I will never know peace._


End file.
